Nebraska
Nebraska Football’s Heinrich Haarberg Packages More Than Gimmicks
Heinrich Haarberg is not the starting quarterback for Nebraska football.
Unless you’ve been under a rock since the midway point of the 2023 season, this isn’t a surprise. But that fact doesn’t stop the Nebraska native from being a threat to defenses when he gets on the field with the first team offense.
Haarberg got on the field early against Northern Iowa, first lining up in the backfield next to quarterback Dylan Raiola. Haarberg floated into the flat to the right and Raiola threw to fellow freshman Carter Nelson on a screen. On the next play, Haarberg split out wide to the left. Again, Raiola found Nelson, this time on an option route that Nelson took into the end zone.
Dylan Raiola ➡️ Carter Nelson
Carter Nelson scores his first TD for @HuskerFootball 👏🌽 pic.twitter.com/MzaHcMijB6 — FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 14, 2024
Two plays, two uses as essentially a decoy.
“I think there’s a lot of things that we want Heinrich to be able to do,” Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said after the game. “Every time he goes in, we don’t just want him to be a Wildcat quarterback.”
And yet, most playmakers aren’t getting the ball simply by being on the field. As matter of fact, Haarberg being on the field is for more than just that particular game.
“We’d like to get a little bit more out of the quarterback run part of it, but I’ll be honest, one thing I’ve learned: every time we put a quarterback run on tape, another team has to practice it,” Rhule said. “(The plays) don’t necessarily have to work. I just have to chew up 20 minutes of (the opponent’s) time each day, worrying about option and worrying about those things.
“Because we can run all the options with Heinrich. We can get under center still and run belly G-option. I need (the opponents) practicing that, because that’s less time they’re practicing the other stuff that we’re doing.
Haarberg’s full use as a football player came in a spurt in the third quarter.
The Husker junior lined up to the left of Raiola, running an angle route out of the backfield and making a catch for eight yards. On the next play, he lined up to the right of Raiola and ran the ball to the left for five yards. On the final play of the sequence, Raiola split wide while Haarberg lined up in shotgun behind the center to run a quarterback power to the left for one yard.
✅ Catch pass out of backfield — Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) September 15, 2024
✅ Run ball out of backfield
✅ Run keeper
Backup QB Heinrich Haarberg just had a busy three plays.#B1GFootball x @HuskerFootball pic.twitter.com/iwXcxo2CKQ
“We all have our own traits and we have a lot of talented people on this team,” Haarberg said. “Trying to get everyone the ball that we can.”
His QB1 enjoyed having the athletic veteran on the field at the same time.
“Love seeing him make plays,” Raiola said. “We all knew he was capable of it.”
Haarberg also got some run in the fourth quarter with Raiola pulled from the game due to the large lead.
“What I was really pleased with Heinrich was when he got in at quarterback, the way he managed that third down, (to) find the check down was awesome,” Rhule said. “They were bringing a lot of zero blitz. He checked, they checked, he reloaded it on the long touchdown run.”
That touchdown run was from 36 yards by Emmett Johnson late in the fourth quarter.
At the end of the game, Haarberg was 3-for-3 passing for 34 yards, adding seven yards on the ground and a catch for eight yards. Opposing defenses may want to spend more than 20 minutes on what Haarberg can do on the football field.
MORE: LOOK: Photos From Nebraska Football’s 34-3 Win Over Northern Iowa
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MORE: Analytics Review: Nebraska Football vs Northern Iowa
MORE: Nebraska Football Inches Higher in Both Coaches, AP Polls Following Northern Iowa Win
MORE: Stukenholtz: That Old Familiar Husker Football Feeling
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Nebraska
Nebraska outfielder Will Jesske coaches local legion team
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) — After a hamstring injury during Nebraska’s baseball season, Will Jesske was advised to take it easy this summer. He is, but Jesske has found a new way to stay involved in the game.
Jesske is coaching a local legion baseball team. He is a volunteer assistant for Lincoln Hotel Group, the senior legion team for Standing Bear High School.
Jesske, a Lincoln Southeast graduate, describes himself as the “hype man” in the LHG dugout. He brings energy and enthusiasm, which players enjoy. Jesske said coaching is a way he can give back to local players while helping LHG’s coaching staff. Jesske played under Tanner Lewis and Kyle Beacom in high school. They now lead the LHG legion program.
Jesske is entering his senior season at Nebraska. He has appeared in 95 games over his career, including 33 during the Huskers’ 43-win season this spring. Jesske was injured early in the season but played through it as Nebraska hosted an NCAA regional. He hit .318 in his junior season. Jesske said he is fully healthy and credited extended rest with his recovery.
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Copyright 2026 KOLN. All rights reserved.
Nebraska
Former Nebraska wrestler AJ Ferrari wanted in Lincoln, accused of assaulting pregnant woman
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Former Nebraska wrestler AJ Ferrari is wanted in Lancaster County on suspicion of assaulting a pregnant woman in May.
An arrest warrant was filed for Ferrari on Thursday. He faces three felony charges which include first-degree false imprisonment and assault by strangling a pregnant woman.
According to an arrest affidavit, a woman from California contacted police in Lincoln on May 8 just after midnight. She told officers her daughter called for help and pointed them to Ferrari’s apartment.
Police arrived at the apartment and knocked on the door. A pregnant woman came out after several minutes of knocking with no answer. Officers said the woman was visibly upset.
She told officers that Ferrari tried taking her phone away after an argument, but she wouldn’t let him take it. The arrest affidavit shows Ferrari then dragged her off a bed by her feet.
Police think Ferrari then got on top of her and strangled her, likely until she was unconscious. The woman told police that she felt as though her throat “collapsed” and that she was “breathing through a straw.”
Once regaining consciousness, police said the woman tried hiding in a closet and contacting her mother on another device. But Ferrari followed her, pushed her onto a bed and sat on her until she apologized, according to the affidavit.
She apologized in order to be released, police said. The woman then tried to leave the apartment, but police said Ferrari dragged her by the arm back inside. She found her phone and contacted her mother, yelling “help!”, prosecutors wrote.
Ferrari grabbed the phone and hung up, according to the affidavit. The woman’s mother tried calling several more times before calling police.
Authorities transported the woman to Bryan West for treatment. Officers said she sustained injuries consistent with strangulation, including bruising around her neck and other abrasions.
Last weekend, Ferrari was arrested in Lincoln County on suspicion of flight to avoid arrest, willful reckless driving and obstructing the police. He was cited after a trooper chased a Corvette in the North Platte area.
Lincoln County authorities told KOLN that Ferrari is out on bond. His current whereabouts are unclear.
Court records show that the woman has filed for a protection order against Ferrari. A hearing has been set for July 7 to give him an opportunity to show the court why one should not be issued.
Previously, Ferrari was booked in Lancaster County, Nebraska for an outstanding warrant in January of this year, but those charges were dismissed later that week.
Ferrari parted ways with the Huskers in April of this year.
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Copyright 2026 KOLN. All rights reserved.
Nebraska
Discounted tickets for Nebraska State Fair over 4th of July Weekend
The Nebraska State Fair is celebrating America’s 250th anniversary with a special 72-hour flash sale on Season Passes.
From July 3 through July 5, fans can purchase a 2026 Season Pass for just $50—a significant discount from its regular value of $132.
The pass includes one admission per day for all 11 days of the 2026 Nebraska State Fair, making it ideal for visitors who plan to attend multiple days.
Fair officials say the promotion is one of the biggest Season Pass discounts offered in years and will not be extended.
After July 5, Season Passes will remain available at a higher discounted price.
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